In aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, floods and disaster remain

Monday

Aug 29, 2011 at 1:48 PMAug 29, 2011 at 2:01 PM

The Hudson Valley and Catskills remains in potentially disastrous shape in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene's hit. While Monday remains sunny and clear, the remnants of the storm below are nowhere near resolved.

Staff reports

The Hudson Valley and Catskills remains in potentially disastrous shape in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene's hit. While Monday remains sunny and clear, the remnants of the storm below are nowhere near resolved.

Orange County and Ulster County governments are closed Monday, with emergency personnel and various office workers excluded from the stoppage. As crews clean downed trees and power lines, more than 100,000 residents of the Hudson Valley and Catskills remain powerless. Crews from utility companies predict it will take days before all customers' power is restored.

Many of the region's roads and towns remain flooded from Irene. Aggressive flooding remains in Warwick and Pine Island, plus in areas of Sullivan and Ulster County. Northern Ulster County has experienced terrible flooding, with places such as Town of Shandaken still underwater. Late last night families were reported trapped in their homes due to the major flooding.

Roads across the area have collapsed, and bridges in some places are washed out. In New Windsor, Forge Hill Road between routes 9W and 94 is closed because of damage to the bridge that carries that section of the road across Moodna Creek. Town police report that the rising Moodna waters wore away at the bridge, which was replaced in 2002.

And Broadway in the City of Newburgh was closed to traffic from DuPont Avenue to Wisner Avenue late Monday morning because of a partial road collapse due to flooding.

With all the destruction, Sen. Charles Schumer said he will fight for all possible government aid for the Hudson Valley. Aid will be available for a number of things, including debris cleanup and farm recoup.